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Meliaceous Limonoids: Chemistry and Biological Activities ‡ ‡ Qin-Gang Tan ,§ and Xiao-Dong Luo*, ‡ State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, P.R.China §Guilin Medical University, Guilin, 541004, P.R.China
CONTENTS 5.2.2. Antimicrobial Activity BR 1. Background and Introduction A 5.2.3. Antiprotozoal Activity BR 2. Meliaceous Limonoids and Their Sources E 5.2.4. Others BS Author Information BT 2.1. Ring Intact Limonoids E Biographies BT 2.1.1. Azadirone-Class E Acknowledgment BT 2.1.2. Cedrelone-Class F References BU 2.1.3. Havanensin-Class G 2.1.4. Trichilin-Class H 2.1.5. Vilasinin-Class H 1. BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION 2.1.6. Others I The word “limonoids” originated from the bitterness of lemon 2.2. Ring-seco Limonoids I or other citrus fruit. Structurally, limonoids are formed by loss of 2.2.1. Demolition of a Single Ring I four terminal carbons of the side chain in the apotirucallane or apoeuphane skeleton and then cyclized to form the 17β-furan 2.2.2. Demolition of Two Rings M ring, and thus limonoids are also known as tetranortriterpenoids. 2.2.3. Demolition of Three Rings (Rings Limonoids in the plant kingdom occur mainly in the Meliaceae A,B,D-seco Group) R and Rutaceae families and less frequently in the Cneoraceae.1 2.3. Rearranged Limonoids R With 50 genera and more than 1400 species, Meliaceae are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the 2.3.1. 1,n-Linkage Group R world.2 As the characteristic natural products of the Meliaceae, 2.3.2. 2,30-linkage Group T limonoids have attracted considerable interest within the chemi- 2.3.3. 8,11-Linkage Limonoids (Trijugin-Class) AA cal and biological research communities. The neem tree 2.3.4. 10,11-Linkage Limonoids (Azadirachta indica), one of the most famous limonoid produ- (Cipadesin-Class) AA cing plants in Meliaceae, has long been recognized as a source of environment-friendly biopesticide. Azadirachtin (292), a com- 2.3.5. Other Linkages Group AB plex limonoid from neem seed kernel, is the main component 2.4. Limonoids Derivatives AC responsible for the toxic effects on insects. The commercial 2.4.1. Pentanortriterpenoids, Hexanortriterpe- application of the limonoids in the agricultural industry has noids, Heptanortriterpenoids, Octanor- enjoyed significant growth in recent decades. Commercial neem triterpenoids, and Enneanortriterpenoids products (seed kernel extract of A. indica), such as Margosan-O, Azitin, Turplex, and Align were granted approval for pest control Derivatives AC usage in the United States by the EPA.3 5 Furthermore, A. indica 2.4.2. Simple Degraded Derivatives AD was also introduced and has been planted on a large scale in 2.4.3. N-Containing Derivatives AD Yunnan province, P. R. China since the 2000s (Figure 1). Three 3. Chemotaxonomic Significance of Meliaceous commercial limonoids products (extracts of A. indica, Melia Limonoids AD toosendan, and M. azedarach), known as biorational insecticides, 4. Synthesis of Meliaceous Limonoids AF were also granted approval in China for insect control on organic 5. Biological Activities of Meliaceous Limonoids AV vegetable plantings. In a pharmaceutical application from China, a formulation with toosendanin, a limonoid from M. toosendan 5.1. Biological Activities in Agricultural Use AW that displays dramatic antibotulismic effects, was developed as a 5.1.1. Insects Antifeeding Activity AW commercial product from TCM (Traditional Chinese Medi- 5.1.2. Insects Growth Regulatory Activity BC cine), where it has been used as an anthelmintic vermifuge 5.1.3. Insecticidal Activity BL against ascarids for a long time.6 5.1.4. Antiphytopathogen Activity BM Some mini-reviews related to limonoids from Meliaceae have 7 13 5.1.5. Others BM been presented since 1966. For example, the chemistry, 5.2. Biological Activities in Medicinal Use BP Received: December 14, 2009 5.2.1. Antineoplastic Activity BP
r XXXX American Chemical Society A dx.doi.org/10.1021/cr9004023 | Chem. Rev. XXXX, XXX, 000–000 Chemical Reviews REVIEW